Marcell Ozuna hit a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 9-7 win over the host Miami Marlins on Sunday.
Ozuna finished 3-for-5 and drove in four runs, the final three coming on his seventh homer of the year, after Atlanta was down to its final strike against Marlins closer Tanner Scott (0-3).
Braves closer Raisel Iglesias then retired all three Miami batters in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his third save of the year.
A.J. Minter (2-1) earned the win after striking out three batters in a scoreless bottom of the eighth inning.
After a scoreless first inning, Matt Olson and Ozuna began the second inning with back-to-back singles before Adam Duvall drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the second, Bryan De La Cruz tied the score with a solo home run off Atlanta starter Charlie Morton. It was the second blast of the season for De La Cruz.
After Ronald Acuna walked and stole second in the top of the third, Miami third baseman Jake Burger’s throwing error on an Ozzie Albies infield single allowed the Braves to take a 2-1 lead. Albies then stole second before Olson drove him in with a single for the third Atlanta run.
Duvall led off the fourth with his first home run of the year, followed by an Acuna RBI single later in the inning, extending the Braves’ lead to 5-1.
Miami’s Josh Bell started the bottom of the fourth with a double and was driven in by Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s double two batters later. De La Cruz then singled in Chisholm, cutting the Marlins’ deficit to 5-3.
After Miami’s starter Jesus Luzardo got through a clean top of the fifth, Vidal Brujan doubled and was moved to third on Nick Fortes’ single to start the bottom of the inning. Luis Arraez then hit into a double play, but scored Brujan to trim the Braves’ lead to 5-4.
Luzardo was then replaced by Sixto Sanchez after allowing seven hits, five runs and one walk in five innings, striking out four.
Sanchez pitched a scoreless sixth, before Jesus Sanchez tied the score with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning, chasing Morton, who was replaced by Dylan Lee.
On the second pitch to Nick Gordon, Lee gave up a two-run homer that gave Miami a 7-5 lead. One of those runs was charged to Morton, who pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits, and six runs. He struck out eight and walked one.
The homer was Gordon’s third of the season.
Anthony Bender retired Acuna and Albies to start the seventh, before allowing singles to Austin Riley and Olson and then a run-scoring double to Ozuna, cutting Miami’s lead to 7-6.
In the ninth, Acuna led off with a single, but Scott retired the next two batters before walking Olson and allowing Ozuna’s game-winning homer.
–Field Level Media
